That's right folks, it's contest time! Halloween is just around the corner and now's the time when the pumpkins get gutted and mutilated and set on fire for our viewing pleasure. While you're busy doing that, why not go the extra mile and enter this new spiffy contest.

All you have to do is decorate a pumpkin so it has some sort of video gaming theme. You can carve it, glue stuff to it, paint it, or whatever else you feel like doing. As long as it resembles something related to video games it's all good. Carve Mario's face or the Atari logo in it. Use it as replacement Gamecube case. Create a field of pumpkin Pikmin. Make a giant pumpkin Pikachu. Use a single pumpkin or a dozen, it doesn't matter. Get creative and have fun!

Take a picture of your creation and then e-mail it to me at kathara@sbcglobal.net. Entries must be e-mailed to me by 11:59pm Central Time on October 31. Once the deadline passes I will put all entries up on my own server and board members will vote on which one is their favorite (pictures will not be labeled so there will be no way to identify who did what to prevent bias). The one which receives the most votes will be the grand prize winner. In the event of a tie, uh, I'll think of something. You can enter as often as you wish if you REALLY like carving pumpkins. Oh, and by the way, if anybody tries to cheat and use Photoshop you will be disqualified and I will laugh at you.

So what IS the grand prize, you ask? It's a huge box filled with games and goodies from the "survival horror" genre and/or involving monsters in general. A small sample of what will be included is below:

D (PSX)
Silent Hill 4 (PS2)
Resident Evil longbox (PSX)
Dark Fall: The Journal (PC)
Manhunt (PS2)
Countdown Vampires (PSX)
Clock Tower (PSX)
Darkstalkers The Night Warriors longbox (PSX)
Fear Effect (PSX)
Kouldeka (PSX)
Nightmare Creatures (PSX)
Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
Resident Evil (GC)
Shadow of Destiny (PS2)
Clock Tower 3 (PS2)
The Ring: Terror's Realm (DC)
Illbleed (DC)
Resident Evil Outbreak survival kit
Resident Evil wall clock made by Sniderman
Extermination (PS2)
Haunted House (2600 - loose)
Dracula (Genesis)
The Thing (PS2)
Resident Evil Code Veronica X w/bonus Devil May Cry DVD (PS2)
Grabbed by the Ghoulies (XBOX)
Shadowgate (NES)
Ghostbusters (Sega Master System)
Run Like Hell (XBOX)
Blade II (XBOX)
Evil Dead: Fistful of Boomstick (PS2)
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)
Carrier (DC)
Zombie Revenge (DC)
Eternal Darkness (GC)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (XBOX)

If anybody has any questions you can post them here or PM them to me.

Good luck, and start carving!

Kristine